Tom Hauck for ESPN.comOutside linebacker Freddie Stevenson is in the ESPN 300 at No. 270 overall.

He's added a handful of his new teammates on Facebook, hoping to build some relationships long before he arrives on campus. Stevenson's following a number of FSU's other recruits, too -- just in case they need a little extra help deciding where they'd like to play.

"I'll try to get them over to Florida State, too," Stevenson said.

It's hard to blame the 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker for being enthusiastic. He's been away from the game for far too long.

Stevenson was en route to a standout junior season at Bartow (Fla.) High last year when a broken fibula ended his season after eight games and 95 tackles.

During the time away, he's given plenty of thought to what lies ahead -- both at Florida State and, of course, his senior season with his current teammates.

"Being out for so long, I've been looking at a lot of my film, and I know what I need to improve at," Steveson said.

The scouting reports offer fair critiques of a linebacker still developing his skills, but Stevenson doesn't pay much attention.

"I've been harder on myself than anybody's been on me," he said.

So as he gets set for his final year at Bartow, Stevenson has put together a checklist of things he's hoping to improve about his game before the level of competition gets a lot tougher at FSU.